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3.7 billion years ago,
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00:00:05,267 --> 00:00:09,851
early life was on the brink
of extinction.
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00:00:09,853 --> 00:00:11,073
Colossal impacts...
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00:00:15,628 --> 00:00:18,102
Ferocious climate change...
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00:00:18,104 --> 00:00:23,349
And total atmospheric collapse
have turned paradise into hell.
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But this isn't Earth...
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It's Mars...
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00:00:27,147 --> 00:00:29,620
And this is the violent
history of perhaps
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00:00:29,622 --> 00:00:33,085
the first life forms
in our solar system.
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00:00:33,087 --> 00:00:36,351
Could these martians
still exist today?
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Could they even be
living among us?
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00:00:42,096 --> 00:00:45,064
Captions paid for by
discovery communications
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scientists suspect that life may
once have thrived on Mars...
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That the barren world
we see today
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00:01:04,470 --> 00:01:07,703
swarmed with martians long ago.
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00:01:07,705 --> 00:01:09,716
If I had to bet something
incredibly valuable to me...
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00:01:09,718 --> 00:01:11,960
If I had to bet my car...
On whether or not
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00:01:11,962 --> 00:01:14,071
there's life on Mars,
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or evidence of past life
on Mars,
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I'd take that bet.
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The building blocks for life
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are widespread in the universe,
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and early Mars could have been
the perfect place
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to pull these
ingredients together.
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If you had a recipe book for
everything you need for life,
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you'd have things like water,
organic chemistry,
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a stable surface,
a thick atmosphere...
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00:01:35,690 --> 00:01:37,965
Well, Mars had
all of those.
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Mars satisfies
every specific requirement
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for letting life get started.
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Life on Mars
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may have been inevitable,
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and we've sent a robot army
to hunt for signs of it.
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But so far,
it's been elusive.
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00:01:53,674 --> 00:01:55,983
Our rovers, landers,
and satellites
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haven't found life yet,
37
00:01:57,866 --> 00:02:01,527
but they have found evidence
of something extraordinary.
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Mars was the victim
of a devastating series
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of extinction-level events
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00:02:08,987 --> 00:02:13,110
that rocked
the red planet to its core...
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00:02:13,112 --> 00:02:14,695
Leading us to wonder,
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00:02:14,696 --> 00:02:18,423
if life could have started over
multiple times,
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00:02:18,425 --> 00:02:21,097
with generation
after generation of martians
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rising and falling through
Mars' violent history.
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00:02:28,556 --> 00:02:31,657
It seems likely
that a first Genesis of life
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00:02:31,658 --> 00:02:35,088
could have occurred very early
on in Mars' history,
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just as soon
as the crust was cool enough
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to give it a solid foothold.
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The secret to this early life
would have been
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a crucial ingredient,
one shared by the young Earth.
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00:02:47,962 --> 00:02:52,777
Dry, harsh Mars
once had oceans.
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For life to get started,
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00:02:54,231 --> 00:02:56,144
you need some carbon,
an energy source,
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00:02:56,146 --> 00:02:58,223
it needs nutrients
like nitrogen...
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00:02:58,225 --> 00:03:00,532
But those are likely to be
present on Mars,
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00:03:00,534 --> 00:03:02,678
they are present
and widespread on Earth.
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00:03:02,680 --> 00:03:04,822
The essential requirement
is really the liquid water.
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Picture Mars
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00:03:08,686 --> 00:03:13,006
4.5 billion years ago.
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00:03:13,008 --> 00:03:17,165
Molten rock has cooled
to form a solid crust.
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00:03:17,167 --> 00:03:22,940
Water collects on the surface,
forming primitive oceans.
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Rain clouds sweep across
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00:03:24,229 --> 00:03:26,900
the steaming,
volcanic landscape,
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00:03:26,902 --> 00:03:29,078
and in shallow pools
of water,
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the martians
begin to emerge.
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00:03:32,941 --> 00:03:34,854
But these first aliens
are simpler
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00:03:34,856 --> 00:03:38,087
than Sci-Fi
would have us believe.
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00:03:38,089 --> 00:03:39,869
We're probably not talking
about little green men
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00:03:39,871 --> 00:03:41,289
or women, or whoever.
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00:03:41,291 --> 00:03:43,928
Walking around on the surface
of Mars, we...
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00:03:43,930 --> 00:03:45,183
We're talking
about something probably
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00:03:45,185 --> 00:03:46,602
much, much smaller
and simpler,
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single-celled life.
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If would look familiar,
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00:03:49,508 --> 00:03:51,155
it would look just like
bacteria on Earth.
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Little, tiny, round,
rod-shaped organisms.
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00:03:55,250 --> 00:03:56,700
If this generation
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00:03:56,702 --> 00:03:59,670
of bacterial martian life
really did exist,
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00:03:59,672 --> 00:04:03,168
it was the first life
to grace our solar system.
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00:04:03,170 --> 00:04:06,237
Multiplying inside
the rock pools of Mars
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00:04:06,239 --> 00:04:09,834
long before life
took hold on Earth,
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00:04:09,836 --> 00:04:13,267
Mars' small size would've
given it a head start.
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00:04:14,852 --> 00:04:16,434
Because Mars is smaller
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00:04:16,436 --> 00:04:17,623
than the Earth
it would have cooled
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00:04:17,625 --> 00:04:19,735
a little bit faster
than we did.
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00:04:19,737 --> 00:04:21,550
So early on in the life
of the solar system,
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00:04:21,552 --> 00:04:23,794
Mars may have been
more like Earth
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00:04:23,796 --> 00:04:25,972
than Earth was at the time.
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00:04:28,218 --> 00:04:30,328
Let's go back 100 million years
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00:04:30,330 --> 00:04:32,441
after the sun formed.
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00:04:32,443 --> 00:04:35,972
The surface of the Earth
is still a molten lake.
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00:04:35,974 --> 00:04:37,885
But martian life
could be thriving
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00:04:37,887 --> 00:04:42,868
on the smaller,
cooler world.
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00:04:42,870 --> 00:04:44,915
But these first martians
won't have long
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00:04:44,917 --> 00:04:47,488
to enjoy
their time in the sun.
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00:04:47,490 --> 00:04:52,802
Inescapable death is already
on its way from space...
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00:04:54,189 --> 00:04:56,531
A cosmic bomb so huge,
98
00:04:56,533 --> 00:04:59,798
it would completely alter
the shape of the planet,
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00:04:59,800 --> 00:05:01,184
leaving it lopsided,
100
00:05:01,186 --> 00:05:05,540
the northern
hemisphere crushed.
101
00:05:05,542 --> 00:05:06,860
Most planets are round,
102
00:05:06,862 --> 00:05:08,246
and that's just something
you don't really
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00:05:08,248 --> 00:05:09,862
give much thought to,
104
00:05:09,864 --> 00:05:13,031
but it turns out Mars isn't
as round as it could be.
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The Southern hemisphere,
on average,
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has a higher elevation
than the northern hemisphere.
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00:05:19,733 --> 00:05:22,238
So, in other words, if you were
to start on the north pole
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and walk all the way
around to the south pole,
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you'd be walking uphill,
essentially, the whole time.
110
00:05:33,064 --> 00:05:34,812
So, we call this difference
between the northern
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00:05:34,814 --> 00:05:36,033
and the Southern hemisphere,
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00:05:36,035 --> 00:05:38,046
we call this the crustal
dichotomy on Mars,
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and it's been one of the biggest
mysteries of the planet,
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you know, it's the first thing
that you see about it,
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00:05:42,471 --> 00:05:44,686
and you say, well, how could
this possibly have happened?
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In 2008, scientists mapping
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the surface of Mars came up
with an explanation
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for the massive dent
in the planet, shown in blue.
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This basin, the biggest
in the solar system,
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had to be the result
of a massive impact.
121
00:06:03,492 --> 00:06:05,502
Called the Borealis impact,
122
00:06:05,504 --> 00:06:11,112
it blasted out a crater 6500
miles wide and five miles deep,
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00:06:11,114 --> 00:06:14,281
big enough to swallow
the entire United States
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with room to spare.
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00:06:16,164 --> 00:06:18,240
Something really big happened.
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00:06:18,242 --> 00:06:20,122
In fact, the entire top half
of the planet
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00:06:20,124 --> 00:06:22,234
seems to have
practically been blown off.
128
00:06:22,236 --> 00:06:25,237
The only thing that could do
that is a huge collision,
129
00:06:25,239 --> 00:06:26,656
and we're talking a collision
130
00:06:26,658 --> 00:06:28,603
with something the size
of Pluto, perhaps.
131
00:06:31,443 --> 00:06:33,487
You're talking about an impact
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00:06:33,489 --> 00:06:35,368
that makes
the dinosaur killer impact
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00:06:35,370 --> 00:06:38,701
65 million years ago look pretty
much like a wet firecracker.
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00:06:41,771 --> 00:06:43,751
4.5 billion years ago,
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00:06:43,753 --> 00:06:45,466
the early solar system
is filled
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00:06:45,468 --> 00:06:49,328
with planetesimals
and protoplanets...
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00:06:49,330 --> 00:06:52,364
Asteroid-like leftovers
from a planet building process
138
00:06:52,366 --> 00:06:55,861
that created Mars
and the Earth.
139
00:06:55,863 --> 00:06:57,809
One of these
asteroids is huge,
140
00:06:57,811 --> 00:07:01,901
and it's on a direct collision
course with Mars.
141
00:07:01,903 --> 00:07:05,696
Any microscopic martians
have just seconds to live.
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00:07:07,975 --> 00:07:09,953
If this impact
was happening today
143
00:07:09,955 --> 00:07:13,683
and we were so unlucky
as to be there to witness it,
144
00:07:13,685 --> 00:07:16,917
what you first would have seen
is another moon in the sky...
145
00:07:19,096 --> 00:07:20,679
And then you would've
looked back and seen,
146
00:07:20,681 --> 00:07:23,087
oh, it's getting bigger.
147
00:07:26,257 --> 00:07:28,995
As it came down it would have
filled the entire sky,
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00:07:28,997 --> 00:07:30,776
from horizon to horizon,
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00:07:30,778 --> 00:07:33,054
and as it struck,
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00:07:33,056 --> 00:07:36,058
the top would have still
been well out into space.
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00:07:38,467 --> 00:07:39,456
The impactor
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is 1200 miles across,
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the size of Pluto,
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00:07:43,352 --> 00:07:45,957
and as it hits,
the energy of the impact
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shakes Mars to its core.
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00:07:48,731 --> 00:07:52,788
The entire planet
wobbles like jell-o.
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00:07:52,790 --> 00:07:54,043
As it came down,
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00:07:54,045 --> 00:07:57,210
it would have been hitting
into the surface of Mars
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as fast as a bullet
out of a gun,
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00:08:00,347 --> 00:08:02,755
and it would have slammed
into the surface
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00:08:02,757 --> 00:08:04,602
and sent a shockwave out
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that would've been bigger than
any earthquake ever recorded.
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It would have been
like a Tsunami of rock
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coming out and tossing us
out of the way.
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The impact is catastrophic.
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It blows nearly half
the planet's surface into space
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and turns what crust remains
into a boiling lake of lava.
168
00:08:31,005 --> 00:08:33,148
You can't have
an impact of that scale
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without almost melting
the planet.
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00:08:36,121 --> 00:08:38,066
It's not literally
a planet breaking event,
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00:08:38,068 --> 00:08:39,815
but it's
a planet melting event,
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00:08:39,817 --> 00:08:41,828
and it is, it is
the sterilization
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00:08:41,830 --> 00:08:42,898
of the planet
at that point.
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The surface of Mars was molten,
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its atmosphere
blown into space,
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00:08:53,908 --> 00:08:56,678
the oceans boiled away.
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00:08:56,680 --> 00:08:58,956
If Mars was home
to the first generation of life
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in our solar system,
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00:09:00,970 --> 00:09:03,906
that life didn't
stand a chance.
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00:09:03,908 --> 00:09:07,371
It would take the surface
of Mars 50 million years
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00:09:07,373 --> 00:09:09,450
to recover from the impact.
182
00:09:13,081 --> 00:09:16,677
But what sort of planet
will rise from the ashes?
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00:09:16,679 --> 00:09:20,406
Compelling new evidence suggests
that the conditions for life
184
00:09:20,408 --> 00:09:23,146
may have returned to Mars,
185
00:09:23,148 --> 00:09:27,667
but did life itself
make a comeback?
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This impact
was only a blip in time,
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and there was possibilities
for life
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00:09:32,650 --> 00:09:34,134
and the planet to recover.
189
00:09:55,355 --> 00:09:57,532
4.5 billion years ago
190
00:09:57,534 --> 00:09:59,908
an asteroid
the size of Pluto
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00:09:59,910 --> 00:10:05,387
slammed into the surface
of infant Mars.
192
00:10:05,389 --> 00:10:07,532
It melted the surface
of the planet,
193
00:10:07,534 --> 00:10:10,337
it blew the atmosphere
into space,
194
00:10:10,339 --> 00:10:13,109
and it boiled
away the oceans.
195
00:10:13,111 --> 00:10:15,947
If life had gotten
a foothold on the planet,
196
00:10:15,949 --> 00:10:20,171
that life would have been
completely exterminated.
197
00:10:20,173 --> 00:10:22,447
But some scientists
believe this extinction
198
00:10:22,449 --> 00:10:23,933
could have been brief,
199
00:10:23,935 --> 00:10:28,684
and that life could have
started again from scratch.
200
00:10:28,686 --> 00:10:30,071
One of the wonderful things
201
00:10:30,073 --> 00:10:31,490
to imagine is that
there probably wasn't
202
00:10:31,492 --> 00:10:33,140
a single origin of life.
203
00:10:33,142 --> 00:10:34,526
It's not like
it happened once
204
00:10:34,528 --> 00:10:36,638
and then everything
just went from there.
205
00:10:36,640 --> 00:10:38,552
Maybe there were multiple times
that life got started
206
00:10:38,554 --> 00:10:41,984
and went extinct.
207
00:10:41,986 --> 00:10:42,974
Ten million years
208
00:10:42,976 --> 00:10:44,162
after the Borealis impact
209
00:10:44,164 --> 00:10:46,671
crushed the planet's
northern hemisphere,
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00:10:46,673 --> 00:10:48,980
Mars has cooled enough
for its surface
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00:10:48,982 --> 00:10:52,181
to become solid once more.
212
00:10:52,183 --> 00:10:54,690
The planet has some
of the ingredients for life...
213
00:10:54,692 --> 00:10:56,802
The right molecules,
a stable surface,
214
00:10:56,804 --> 00:10:58,980
and an energy source.
215
00:10:58,982 --> 00:11:01,355
But something's missing.
216
00:11:01,357 --> 00:11:06,240
4.49 billion years ago
the surface of Mars was dry,
217
00:11:06,242 --> 00:11:08,484
and without water,
life can't start over
218
00:11:08,486 --> 00:11:13,269
and a second generation
of martian can never arise.
219
00:11:13,271 --> 00:11:14,688
As far as we know life,
220
00:11:14,690 --> 00:11:17,658
water is absolutely,
fundamentally important to life.
221
00:11:20,959 --> 00:11:24,192
2004... NASA's opportunity rover
222
00:11:24,194 --> 00:11:26,008
lands on Mars.
223
00:11:26,010 --> 00:11:28,251
Part of its mission
is to search for evidence
224
00:11:28,253 --> 00:11:34,060
that water returned to Mars
after the Borealis impact.
225
00:11:34,062 --> 00:11:35,413
It's not long before
opportunity
226
00:11:35,415 --> 00:11:38,514
stumbles across something
strange on the surface
227
00:11:38,516 --> 00:11:41,682
of a fossilized sand dune...
228
00:11:41,684 --> 00:11:46,995
Bizarre, round,
metallic rocks.
229
00:11:46,997 --> 00:11:48,745
These rocks are called
blueberries,
230
00:11:48,747 --> 00:11:51,286
and they're an important find
for planetary geologists,
231
00:11:51,288 --> 00:11:53,596
like Jani Radebaugh,
232
00:11:53,598 --> 00:11:57,721
because fossilized
sand dunes also exist on Earth.
233
00:11:57,723 --> 00:11:59,734
And Utah's petrified dunes
234
00:11:59,736 --> 00:12:03,364
are also littered
with blueberries.
235
00:12:03,366 --> 00:12:04,553
This is really exciting
236
00:12:04,555 --> 00:12:08,711
because we've seen the exact
same thing on Mars.
237
00:12:08,713 --> 00:12:10,492
Finding blueberries on Mars
238
00:12:10,494 --> 00:12:12,935
is significant,
because the Borealis impact
239
00:12:12,937 --> 00:12:14,353
melted the planet,
240
00:12:14,355 --> 00:12:16,861
so anything found
on Mars today
241
00:12:16,863 --> 00:12:20,294
must have formed
after the impact.
242
00:12:20,296 --> 00:12:23,461
But crucially,
these nodules of iron oxide
243
00:12:23,463 --> 00:12:27,884
formed deep underground
and in the presence of water.
244
00:12:27,886 --> 00:12:29,996
In order to form one of these
little blueberries,
245
00:12:29,998 --> 00:12:32,108
there needs to be huge
amounts of water
246
00:12:32,110 --> 00:12:35,211
flushing down
through the fossil sand dunes,
247
00:12:35,213 --> 00:12:36,696
and as it does that,
248
00:12:36,698 --> 00:12:38,773
it carries with it all
of the iron oxides
249
00:12:38,775 --> 00:12:40,557
around each sand grain.
250
00:12:40,559 --> 00:12:42,735
And just one tiny,
little one like this...
251
00:12:42,737 --> 00:12:43,989
Now, this is maybe about
252
00:12:43,991 --> 00:12:45,672
an ounce of iron,
maybe a little bit more...
253
00:12:45,674 --> 00:12:47,916
And in order
to get an ounce of iron
254
00:12:47,918 --> 00:12:49,730
to concentrate into
this blueberry,
255
00:12:49,732 --> 00:12:53,724
you need to have
a thousand gallons of water.
256
00:12:53,726 --> 00:12:54,845
Blueberries form
257
00:12:54,847 --> 00:12:57,848
deep inside sandstone.
258
00:12:57,850 --> 00:12:59,300
But over thousands
of years,
259
00:12:59,302 --> 00:13:02,040
wind erosion blows away
the softer rock,
260
00:13:02,042 --> 00:13:05,835
leaving just
the blueberries behind.
261
00:13:07,354 --> 00:13:09,663
If we walk to the edge
of this
262
00:13:09,665 --> 00:13:11,248
pile of blueberries,
263
00:13:11,250 --> 00:13:13,194
we could see
the process by which
264
00:13:13,196 --> 00:13:14,778
they're actually eroding
out of the rock.
265
00:13:14,780 --> 00:13:17,319
The blueberries
right here contain
266
00:13:17,321 --> 00:13:20,553
within this fossil
sandstone layer.
267
00:13:20,555 --> 00:13:22,830
The winds are blowing
in this direction,
268
00:13:22,832 --> 00:13:24,381
down the layers,
269
00:13:24,383 --> 00:13:27,417
and they're actually eroding out
the soft sandstones right here
270
00:13:27,419 --> 00:13:31,444
and leaving behind
very dense iron nodules,
271
00:13:31,446 --> 00:13:32,896
and as they pluck themselves
out of the rock,
272
00:13:32,898 --> 00:13:35,436
they roll down the hill
and they collect...
273
00:13:35,438 --> 00:13:39,397
Right here,
in between layers.
274
00:13:39,399 --> 00:13:41,575
We know we found conditions
just like this on Mars.
275
00:13:41,577 --> 00:13:43,621
We have fossil
sand dune layers,
276
00:13:43,623 --> 00:13:46,920
we also have blueberries
all over the surface,
277
00:13:46,922 --> 00:13:48,439
so we know
the same kinds of things
278
00:13:48,441 --> 00:13:50,815
had to have happened on Mars
that have happened here.
279
00:13:50,817 --> 00:13:52,730
There has to be water
flowing through the rock,
280
00:13:52,732 --> 00:13:53,983
gathering iron,
281
00:13:53,985 --> 00:13:56,194
and then there has to be
a huge amount of wind
282
00:13:56,196 --> 00:14:00,550
to strip away
the fossil sand dunes.
283
00:14:00,552 --> 00:14:01,606
For blueberries to exist
284
00:14:01,608 --> 00:14:04,312
on the surface of Mars today,
285
00:14:04,314 --> 00:14:06,226
the red planet
must have gotten its water
286
00:14:06,228 --> 00:14:11,210
and its atmosphere back after
the catastrophic impact.
287
00:14:11,212 --> 00:14:12,827
With liquid water
on the surface,
288
00:14:12,829 --> 00:14:15,962
the ingredients of life might
have combined, once again,
289
00:14:15,964 --> 00:14:20,714
to create
a second generation of martians.
290
00:14:20,716 --> 00:14:23,618
But where did this water
come from?
291
00:14:23,620 --> 00:14:26,522
The answer is surprising.
292
00:14:26,524 --> 00:14:28,800
It could have been
in the planet itself...
293
00:14:28,802 --> 00:14:30,382
Water is incredibly abundant.
294
00:14:30,384 --> 00:14:32,166
We know that
there's water deep,
295
00:14:32,168 --> 00:14:34,640
deep, deep
in the Earth's mantle,
296
00:14:34,642 --> 00:14:37,314
and so it's entirely
possible that on Mars
297
00:14:37,316 --> 00:14:38,931
there was water so deep
in the planet
298
00:14:38,933 --> 00:14:43,484
that even after this
catastrophe, it came back up.
299
00:14:43,486 --> 00:14:44,706
On the Earth, scientists
300
00:14:44,708 --> 00:14:47,610
diffuse the seismic waves
of earthquakes
301
00:14:47,612 --> 00:14:50,184
to detect
an ocean's worth of water
302
00:14:50,186 --> 00:14:54,243
chemically embedded
in minerals deep underground.
303
00:14:54,245 --> 00:14:56,421
A similar water source
could have been hidden
304
00:14:56,423 --> 00:15:00,282
hundreds of miles below
post-impact Mars,
305
00:15:00,284 --> 00:15:05,001
and volcanoes could have brought
that water back to the surface.
306
00:15:05,003 --> 00:15:06,552
One way for water to get from
307
00:15:06,554 --> 00:15:09,258
deep underneath the surface
to the surface of the planet
308
00:15:09,260 --> 00:15:11,304
would be through
geologic activities...
309
00:15:11,306 --> 00:15:12,921
Volcanoes, for example.
310
00:15:12,923 --> 00:15:15,495
We know that volcanoes spew out
a lot of gasses on Earth,
311
00:15:15,497 --> 00:15:16,848
including water vapor,
312
00:15:16,850 --> 00:15:19,290
and we see
volcanoes on Mars.
313
00:15:22,559 --> 00:15:23,911
Mars is home to the largest
314
00:15:23,913 --> 00:15:26,386
volcanoes
in the solar system.
315
00:15:26,388 --> 00:15:28,729
The biggest of all,
Olympus Mons,
316
00:15:28,731 --> 00:15:31,831
is over three times
taller than mount Everest.
317
00:15:34,637 --> 00:15:39,851
4.49 billion years ago volcanoes
spew lava spiked with water
318
00:15:39,853 --> 00:15:43,448
into the atmosphere
and create ferocious rainstorms
319
00:15:43,450 --> 00:15:46,912
that flood
the surface of Mars.
320
00:15:53,382 --> 00:15:55,427
Over tens of thousands
of years
321
00:15:55,429 --> 00:15:58,628
Mars becomes
a watery world once again
322
00:15:58,630 --> 00:16:01,466
with the perfect conditions
for a second generation
323
00:16:01,468 --> 00:16:05,327
of martians to rise up.
324
00:16:05,329 --> 00:16:06,382
It would seem that
325
00:16:06,384 --> 00:16:08,098
when you have
a massive collision,
326
00:16:08,100 --> 00:16:09,287
like what happened to Mars,
327
00:16:09,289 --> 00:16:11,267
it would be game over
for life.
328
00:16:11,269 --> 00:16:13,808
But there's something
more complicated going on.
329
00:16:13,810 --> 00:16:15,425
Maybe that asteroid impact
kicked off
330
00:16:15,427 --> 00:16:19,683
an entirely new cycle
of life on Mars.
331
00:16:19,685 --> 00:16:20,805
In theory,
332
00:16:20,807 --> 00:16:22,454
four billion years ago,
333
00:16:22,456 --> 00:16:25,523
a second generation of
single-cell bacterial life
334
00:16:25,525 --> 00:16:27,735
arose on Mars,
335
00:16:27,737 --> 00:16:30,110
and for the very first time
there was life
336
00:16:30,112 --> 00:16:33,840
on two planets
in the solar system.
337
00:16:33,842 --> 00:16:38,758
140 million miles away,
life on Earth had just begun,
338
00:16:38,760 --> 00:16:41,067
and thanks to Earth's
stable climate,
339
00:16:41,069 --> 00:16:44,631
it would one day
evolve into us.
340
00:16:47,734 --> 00:16:51,001
But the outlook for Mars
was very different.
341
00:16:51,003 --> 00:16:53,574
Evidence from the Mars
reconnaissance orbiter
342
00:16:53,576 --> 00:16:58,986
suggests an icy apocalypse
was about to strike.
343
00:16:58,988 --> 00:17:03,871
For Mars' second generation,
winter was coming.
344
00:17:28,458 --> 00:17:29,645
Four billion years ago,
345
00:17:29,647 --> 00:17:32,416
the first life
has arisen on Earth,
346
00:17:32,418 --> 00:17:38,059
but on Mars, life may be
starting out for a second time.
347
00:17:38,061 --> 00:17:39,182
It's possible that Mars
348
00:17:39,184 --> 00:17:41,854
had life before Earth did...
It got wiped out...
349
00:17:41,856 --> 00:17:47,861
And then got started again
by rehydrating the planet.
350
00:17:47,863 --> 00:17:49,246
A planetary collision
351
00:17:49,248 --> 00:17:52,085
has blown away Mars'
atmosphere and oceans,
352
00:17:52,087 --> 00:17:54,197
along with any life,
353
00:17:54,199 --> 00:17:57,629
but giant volcanoes have brought
water back to the surface
354
00:17:57,631 --> 00:17:59,609
from deep within the planet.
355
00:17:59,611 --> 00:18:00,797
This could have allowed
356
00:18:00,799 --> 00:18:03,701
for a second generation
of life to rise up.
357
00:18:03,703 --> 00:18:06,770
But these martians are about
to be tested to their limits
358
00:18:06,772 --> 00:18:09,938
by catastrophic
climate change.
359
00:18:18,322 --> 00:18:21,588
2008... NASA's Mars
reconnaissance orbiter
360
00:18:21,590 --> 00:18:27,561
flies high
over the surface of Mars.
361
00:18:27,563 --> 00:18:29,079
Its ground-penetrating
instruments
362
00:18:29,081 --> 00:18:31,026
peer deep below the surface,
363
00:18:31,028 --> 00:18:35,249
aiming to unlock Mars'
geological secrets.
364
00:18:35,251 --> 00:18:37,362
As it scans
near Mars' equator,
365
00:18:37,364 --> 00:18:40,993
the orbiter spots something
that has no right to be there...
366
00:18:40,995 --> 00:18:45,217
A vast,
underground glacier.
367
00:18:45,219 --> 00:18:49,143
One mile thick and three times
the size of Los Angeles,
368
00:18:49,145 --> 00:18:54,060
ice on this scale should
only form at the frigid poles.
369
00:18:54,062 --> 00:18:55,777
The only explanation...
370
00:18:55,779 --> 00:18:58,086
Mars must have been
tipped over
371
00:18:58,088 --> 00:19:02,640
with its equator
tilted away from the sun.
372
00:19:02,642 --> 00:19:03,894
The tilt on Mars' axis
373
00:19:03,896 --> 00:19:06,304
has actually changed
significantly over time,
374
00:19:06,306 --> 00:19:08,450
and in non-systematic ways,
375
00:19:08,451 --> 00:19:10,825
it just happens randomly
that it will start moving,
376
00:19:10,827 --> 00:19:13,037
and so there are some
models that suggest
377
00:19:13,039 --> 00:19:16,138
that Mars has actually been
almost tipped over on its end.
378
00:19:19,307 --> 00:19:20,494
Most planets wobble,
379
00:19:20,496 --> 00:19:23,135
and from time to time,
they wobble so much
380
00:19:23,137 --> 00:19:28,019
they can tip over,
leading to super winters.
381
00:19:28,021 --> 00:19:29,239
If that had happened
here on Earth,
382
00:19:29,241 --> 00:19:32,308
Los Angeles
could become the arctic.
383
00:19:32,310 --> 00:19:34,651
Well, you can imagine something
similar would happen on Mars,
384
00:19:34,653 --> 00:19:38,314
how drastic the change
would be.
385
00:19:38,316 --> 00:19:40,097
You're used to seeing
the sun overhead,
386
00:19:40,099 --> 00:19:42,077
it's very warm,
there's probably liquid water,
387
00:19:42,079 --> 00:19:44,948
and as the planet
starts going this way,
388
00:19:44,950 --> 00:19:47,984
the sun is not gonna rise
as high in the sky.
389
00:19:47,986 --> 00:19:51,350
Eventually you may not see
sunrise for half a year,
390
00:19:51,352 --> 00:19:56,861
and any water that's
there is gonna be frozen solid.
391
00:19:56,863 --> 00:19:58,677
3.9 billion years ago,
392
00:19:58,679 --> 00:20:02,472
Mars is tilting
by as much as 80 degrees.
393
00:20:02,474 --> 00:20:07,884
Winter temperatures drop below
minus 125 degrees Fahrenheit.
394
00:20:09,633 --> 00:20:12,801
As the polar ice sheet spreads
quickly toward the equator,
395
00:20:12,803 --> 00:20:14,979
liquid water is frozen solid,
396
00:20:14,981 --> 00:20:18,609
along with any potential
martians.
397
00:20:18,611 --> 00:20:20,787
The water that drives
the biochemistry of life
398
00:20:20,789 --> 00:20:25,110
freezes inside
the tiny bacteria.
399
00:20:25,112 --> 00:20:28,641
Ice crystals form and puncture
the martian's cell walls
400
00:20:28,643 --> 00:20:34,252
until eventually, they die.
401
00:20:34,253 --> 00:20:38,476
Every 120,000 years
the tilt of Mars changes,
402
00:20:38,478 --> 00:20:41,247
as again and again
the planet's chaotic wobble
403
00:20:41,249 --> 00:20:46,396
flips the martians in and out
of the deep freeze.
404
00:20:46,398 --> 00:20:49,960
Any second generation
of life on Mars...
405
00:20:49,962 --> 00:20:51,709
Is left in tatters.
406
00:21:00,026 --> 00:21:05,635
Meanwhile, on Earth, our ancient
ancestors have it easy.
407
00:21:05,637 --> 00:21:09,695
The Earth's wobble, and its
seasons, stay relatively stable,
408
00:21:09,697 --> 00:21:12,731
and it's all thanks
to our secret weapon...
409
00:21:12,733 --> 00:21:17,285
Our oversized moon.
410
00:21:17,287 --> 00:21:19,496
The interaction
of our planet and the moon
411
00:21:19,498 --> 00:21:22,828
means that the axis of our
rotation is very, very stable.
412
00:21:22,830 --> 00:21:26,854
The seasons return year after
year, century after century,
413
00:21:26,856 --> 00:21:30,748
for billions of years.
414
00:21:30,750 --> 00:21:32,069
Our moon's enormous mass
415
00:21:32,071 --> 00:21:35,402
exerts a huge gravitational pull
on the Earth,
416
00:21:35,404 --> 00:21:37,679
stabilizing the wobble
of our planet
417
00:21:37,681 --> 00:21:41,375
and keeping
our climate in check.
418
00:21:41,377 --> 00:21:43,091
Without the moon,
the early Earth
419
00:21:43,093 --> 00:21:46,062
would have wobbled
just as wildly as Mars,
420
00:21:46,064 --> 00:21:49,361
and our ancestors could have
faced the same icy fate
421
00:21:49,363 --> 00:21:53,321
as the early martians.
422
00:21:53,323 --> 00:21:54,708
Mars doesn't have a big moon,
423
00:21:54,710 --> 00:21:55,566
it has two, little,
tiny moons
424
00:21:55,568 --> 00:21:59,262
that don't really
affect it much.
425
00:21:59,264 --> 00:22:00,878
So if the martians were killed
426
00:22:00,880 --> 00:22:02,594
the first time
by a giant impact,
427
00:22:02,596 --> 00:22:04,046
they may have been killed
a second time
428
00:22:04,048 --> 00:22:07,676
by Mars itself not being
stable and flipping over
429
00:22:07,678 --> 00:22:12,297
and having catastrophic
super winters and super summers,
430
00:22:12,299 --> 00:22:18,271
basically, mega catastrophic
climate change.
431
00:22:18,273 --> 00:22:19,723
On Mars, the outlook for life
432
00:22:19,725 --> 00:22:22,396
seems bleak.
433
00:22:22,398 --> 00:22:25,166
But the brutal conditions
that drive martian life
434
00:22:25,168 --> 00:22:27,906
to the edge of extinction
may also have pushed it
435
00:22:27,908 --> 00:22:31,339
to adapt and evolve.
436
00:22:31,341 --> 00:22:35,266
We know this because on Earth
organisms known as extremophiles
437
00:22:35,268 --> 00:22:38,763
have evolved to live in the most
severe of circumstances,
438
00:22:38,765 --> 00:22:42,790
from boiling,
hydro-thermal vents...
439
00:22:42,792 --> 00:22:45,694
To the deep freeze
of glacial ice.
440
00:22:45,696 --> 00:22:51,171
When the going gets tough,
life seems to get tougher.
441
00:22:51,173 --> 00:22:52,854
Maybe the martian
super winters
442
00:22:52,856 --> 00:22:55,924
gave rise to
a third generation of life...
443
00:22:55,926 --> 00:22:59,225
A super tough army of bugs
able to survive
444
00:22:59,227 --> 00:23:02,689
the harshest
of climate swings.
445
00:23:04,077 --> 00:23:06,188
What we see on Earth
is that life evolves
446
00:23:06,190 --> 00:23:09,389
to occupy
whatever niche it lives in,
447
00:23:09,391 --> 00:23:12,095
and that evolution takes time.
448
00:23:12,097 --> 00:23:15,791
So as the environment changes,
life changes with it.
449
00:23:15,793 --> 00:23:17,210
If there are sudden changes,
450
00:23:17,212 --> 00:23:20,873
then life forms can't cope
with it and many die away.
451
00:23:20,875 --> 00:23:25,494
Those that survive,
they continue on.
452
00:23:25,496 --> 00:23:27,407
3.8 billion years ago
453
00:23:27,409 --> 00:23:29,750
a third generation
of life could have thrived
454
00:23:29,752 --> 00:23:32,554
on the surface of Mars.
455
00:23:32,556 --> 00:23:34,932
Evolved from a handful
of its predecessors
456
00:23:34,934 --> 00:23:37,703
to make it through
Mars' super winters,
457
00:23:37,705 --> 00:23:41,662
it's the toughest
martian life yet.
458
00:23:41,664 --> 00:23:43,544
But, as the super winters end,
459
00:23:43,546 --> 00:23:47,406
the challenges for life
on Mars are set to get worse.
460
00:23:47,408 --> 00:23:51,035
Another extinction-level event
is on the way.
461
00:23:51,037 --> 00:23:56,481
Mars' atmosphere is being ripped
away molecule by molecule.
462
00:23:56,483 --> 00:23:58,098
Could this be the killer punch
463
00:23:58,100 --> 00:24:00,111
that wipes out
the martians for good?
464
00:24:18,922 --> 00:24:20,109
Narrator: Imagine Mars
465
00:24:20,111 --> 00:24:24,036
3.8 billion years ago.
466
00:24:24,038 --> 00:24:26,083
It's a warm, wet world,
467
00:24:26,085 --> 00:24:30,471
and super tough bacterial life
is thriving.
468
00:24:30,473 --> 00:24:35,060
But these martians are not
the planet's first inhabitants.
469
00:24:38,163 --> 00:24:40,274
The first generation
of martian is vaporized
470
00:24:40,276 --> 00:24:45,454
by the huge Borealis impact.
471
00:24:45,456 --> 00:24:47,368
Perhaps life starts over
from scratch,
472
00:24:47,370 --> 00:24:51,031
but endures a series
of extreme climate swings.
473
00:24:51,033 --> 00:24:54,694
Only the toughest martians
make it through.
474
00:25:00,372 --> 00:25:02,846
But another disaster
is about to strike,
475
00:25:02,848 --> 00:25:09,413
and this catastrophe will test
even the strongest martians.
476
00:25:09,415 --> 00:25:13,901
They're about to lose the most
basic ingredient of life...
477
00:25:13,903 --> 00:25:15,552
Liquid water.
478
00:25:15,554 --> 00:25:17,828
You really have to appreciate
how difficult it is
479
00:25:17,830 --> 00:25:20,798
to have liquid water
on the surface of a planet.
480
00:25:20,800 --> 00:25:22,679
We know that life works
so well
481
00:25:22,681 --> 00:25:24,461
when there's
liquid water around.
482
00:25:24,463 --> 00:25:26,441
But you need
just the right balance
483
00:25:26,443 --> 00:25:29,907
of air pressure
and temperature.
484
00:25:29,909 --> 00:25:30,897
Without air pressure
485
00:25:30,899 --> 00:25:32,381
weighing down on it,
486
00:25:32,383 --> 00:25:35,747
liquid water will evaporate from
the surface of a planet,
487
00:25:35,749 --> 00:25:38,322
whatever the temperature.
488
00:25:38,324 --> 00:25:39,873
That air pressure
is generated
489
00:25:39,875 --> 00:25:43,338
by the presence
of an atmosphere.
490
00:25:43,340 --> 00:25:44,328
In a lot of ways that atmosphere
491
00:25:44,330 --> 00:25:45,780
serves as a kind of a lid
492
00:25:45,782 --> 00:25:47,727
stopping down the water
from escaping into space.
493
00:25:47,729 --> 00:25:52,314
It's very important
to have that atmosphere.
494
00:25:52,316 --> 00:25:54,327
3.7 billion years ago,
495
00:25:54,329 --> 00:25:59,146
life on Earth enjoys warm oceans
and a thick atmosphere.
496
00:25:59,148 --> 00:26:02,115
But on Mars,
a third extinction-level event
497
00:26:02,117 --> 00:26:03,898
is gaining momentum.
498
00:26:08,420 --> 00:26:11,686
The atmosphere is slowly
being stripped away,
499
00:26:11,688 --> 00:26:18,252
and Mars' great oceans
are starting to evaporate.
500
00:26:18,254 --> 00:26:20,035
The fate of life
on both planets
501
00:26:20,037 --> 00:26:24,820
now rests on the strength
of their magnetic cores.
502
00:26:24,822 --> 00:26:26,470
It turns out
that the existence
503
00:26:26,472 --> 00:26:30,496
of an atmosphere on Earth may
rely on the magnetic field,
504
00:26:30,498 --> 00:26:32,345
because what
our magnetic field does
505
00:26:32,347 --> 00:26:35,644
is it protects us from
the onslaught of this wind,
506
00:26:35,646 --> 00:26:36,898
of subatomic particles
507
00:26:36,900 --> 00:26:39,934
that the sun is blowing out
all the time.
508
00:26:39,936 --> 00:26:41,717
We call this the solar wind.
509
00:26:45,413 --> 00:26:46,534
And if we didn't
have a magnetic field
510
00:26:46,536 --> 00:26:50,197
to basically catch and deflect
those particles gently,
511
00:26:50,199 --> 00:26:54,389
they would directly slam
into the Earth's atmosphere.
512
00:26:54,391 --> 00:26:56,137
If you think
of the magnetic field
513
00:26:56,139 --> 00:26:58,151
as a windbreaker
from the solar winds,
514
00:26:58,153 --> 00:26:59,669
once we lose that protection,
515
00:26:59,671 --> 00:27:04,619
that planet becomes
very vulnerable.
516
00:27:04,621 --> 00:27:05,839
The Earth's magnetic core
517
00:27:05,841 --> 00:27:09,239
has stayed strong
for 3.45 billion years
518
00:27:09,241 --> 00:27:12,968
as super hot molten iron
churns over and over
519
00:27:12,970 --> 00:27:17,258
within the planet
like a lava lamp.
520
00:27:17,260 --> 00:27:19,370
Churning iron
creates electricity,
521
00:27:19,372 --> 00:27:21,911
which in turn generates
a magnetic field
522
00:27:21,913 --> 00:27:26,432
that rises up around the Earth,
acting like a magnetic shield,
523
00:27:26,434 --> 00:27:30,987
protecting our atmosphere from
the ravages of the solar wind.
524
00:27:30,989 --> 00:27:32,439
3.8 billion years ago
525
00:27:32,441 --> 00:27:35,904
Mars had a molten core
and a magnetic field.
526
00:27:35,906 --> 00:27:39,568
But something caused
its shield to drop.
527
00:27:39,569 --> 00:27:44,088
Did Mars' small molten core
simply get too cold to function?
528
00:27:44,090 --> 00:27:45,441
Or did
something else kickstart
529
00:27:45,443 --> 00:27:49,071
this third great extinction
of martian life?
530
00:27:49,073 --> 00:27:52,074
A new and controversial
theory points the finger
531
00:27:52,076 --> 00:27:55,771
partly at
the ancient Borealis impact.
532
00:27:58,709 --> 00:28:00,292
A giant impact of this scale
533
00:28:00,294 --> 00:28:02,569
can affect a range
of temperatures,
534
00:28:02,571 --> 00:28:06,858
from the hot inner core
to the cooler outer mantle.
535
00:28:06,860 --> 00:28:08,509
4.5 billion years ago
536
00:28:08,511 --> 00:28:10,423
the impact that vaporizes
537
00:28:10,425 --> 00:28:12,733
the first generation
of martian life
538
00:28:12,735 --> 00:28:16,032
also drives heat
into the planet,
539
00:28:16,034 --> 00:28:19,498
increasing the temperatures
in the outer mantle.
540
00:28:19,500 --> 00:28:22,204
The heat inside the planet
evens out,
541
00:28:22,206 --> 00:28:25,768
and the metals
slowly stop churning.
542
00:28:25,770 --> 00:28:27,617
But there's less
of a temperature gradient...
543
00:28:27,619 --> 00:28:30,388
That makes it harder
for this dyno process to,
544
00:28:30,390 --> 00:28:33,622
to drive a strong
magnetic field.
545
00:28:33,624 --> 00:28:34,744
Over hundreds of millions
546
00:28:34,746 --> 00:28:41,014
of years, Mars' magnetic field
shuts down.
547
00:28:41,016 --> 00:28:42,335
When Mars lost its magnetic
548
00:28:42,337 --> 00:28:43,787
field all of a sudden
549
00:28:43,789 --> 00:28:46,196
it was completely
vulnerable to the solar wind.
550
00:28:46,198 --> 00:28:47,746
The solar wind
could break apart
551
00:28:47,748 --> 00:28:49,991
and carry away
the martian atmosphere.
552
00:28:58,045 --> 00:28:59,957
3.7 billion years ago
553
00:28:59,958 --> 00:29:04,577
super tough martian life
faces annihilation.
554
00:29:04,579 --> 00:29:09,330
Bit by bits, the atmosphere
is being swept into space.
555
00:29:09,332 --> 00:29:12,135
The air pressure
is dropping across the planet
556
00:29:12,137 --> 00:29:15,962
and most of Mars' water
has already boiled away.
557
00:29:19,231 --> 00:29:20,649
The chances of survival
558
00:29:20,651 --> 00:29:24,081
without this precious liquid
are remote.
559
00:29:24,083 --> 00:29:27,810
But, for the martians, there's
an even more immediate danger.
560
00:29:27,812 --> 00:29:31,539
With no magnetic field
and no thick atmosphere,
561
00:29:31,541 --> 00:29:34,476
the surface of Mars
feels the full force
562
00:29:34,478 --> 00:29:37,512
of the sun's radiation.
563
00:29:43,883 --> 00:29:45,037
If you're a microbe
564
00:29:45,039 --> 00:29:46,290
on the surface,
565
00:29:46,292 --> 00:29:47,380
you would
have to make do
566
00:29:47,382 --> 00:29:49,689
with very little atmosphere,
no water,
567
00:29:49,691 --> 00:29:51,604
this flood of ultraviolet light
from the sun,
568
00:29:51,606 --> 00:29:54,442
and these particles which are
slamming into you all the time.
569
00:29:57,512 --> 00:29:58,864
The martians are bombarded
570
00:29:58,866 --> 00:30:01,471
by radiation
from the solar wind.
571
00:30:01,473 --> 00:30:05,431
It rips their DNA apart.
572
00:30:05,433 --> 00:30:06,816
Without an atmosphere,
573
00:30:06,818 --> 00:30:10,381
the surface of the planet
is sterilized.
574
00:30:10,383 --> 00:30:14,737
But is this really
the end for martian life?
575
00:30:14,739 --> 00:30:16,256
Life is so tenacious,
576
00:30:16,258 --> 00:30:20,116
it can survive even those
incredible catastrophic changes,
577
00:30:20,118 --> 00:30:23,120
and it may still
be there today.
578
00:30:23,122 --> 00:30:24,769
To survive the radiation,
579
00:30:24,771 --> 00:30:29,191
martian life would have had to
have moved deep underground.
580
00:30:31,271 --> 00:30:33,712
In this protected
subterranean environment
581
00:30:33,714 --> 00:30:37,177
it may also have found
a source of liquid water,
582
00:30:37,179 --> 00:30:38,564
and if that happened,
583
00:30:38,566 --> 00:30:41,699
could the martians
still be there today,
584
00:30:41,701 --> 00:30:46,253
waiting for us to drop in
and say hello?
585
00:31:04,404 --> 00:31:05,822
Since the 1960s
586
00:31:05,824 --> 00:31:07,704
robotic probes and landers
587
00:31:07,706 --> 00:31:13,148
have been searching the surface
of Mars for signs of life.
588
00:31:13,150 --> 00:31:16,449
But have they been looking
in the right places?
589
00:31:16,451 --> 00:31:18,628
The surface of Mars
is a waterless desert
590
00:31:18,630 --> 00:31:22,653
that's bombarded
by harmful radiation.
591
00:31:22,655 --> 00:31:26,547
If a fourth incarnation of
martian life is alive today,
592
00:31:26,549 --> 00:31:31,893
many scientists think it'll
have to be deep underground.
593
00:31:31,895 --> 00:31:33,015
Underneath the surface of Mars
594
00:31:33,017 --> 00:31:35,259
you may have all the conditions
you need for life.
595
00:31:35,261 --> 00:31:37,074
There may be some liquid water
down there,
596
00:31:37,076 --> 00:31:39,747
and you're also protected
from the intense radiation
597
00:31:39,749 --> 00:31:41,134
that you find on the surface.
598
00:31:45,227 --> 00:31:46,777
Scientists are split
599
00:31:46,779 --> 00:31:52,255
on the best underground places
to search for martian life.
600
00:31:52,257 --> 00:31:54,037
But if Jani Radebaugh
were on Mars,
601
00:31:54,039 --> 00:31:58,261
she would head to the nearest
sand dune and start digging.
602
00:32:00,770 --> 00:32:01,858
Here you can see
603
00:32:01,860 --> 00:32:04,036
this is wet sand
just below the surface.
604
00:32:04,038 --> 00:32:08,491
This is the perfect environment
to be able to house life.
605
00:32:08,493 --> 00:32:10,702
Even in the very driest
deserts on Earth,
606
00:32:10,704 --> 00:32:13,045
in between the sand dunes,
in the inter-dunes,
607
00:32:13,047 --> 00:32:15,917
you can find water
percolating up from Springs
608
00:32:15,919 --> 00:32:17,897
that come up from
deep under the ground,
609
00:32:17,899 --> 00:32:19,745
perfect for life
to form and grow.
610
00:32:19,747 --> 00:32:21,790
And if you just keep on
digging...
611
00:32:21,792 --> 00:32:24,299
Down into the bottom
of the inter-dune,
612
00:32:24,301 --> 00:32:26,576
maybe you would reach
the water table.
613
00:32:26,578 --> 00:32:28,655
And if you reach
the water table on Mars,
614
00:32:28,657 --> 00:32:31,955
now you have all the conditions
just right for life.
615
00:32:31,957 --> 00:32:34,001
This is my bet,
this is where I'd go,
616
00:32:34,003 --> 00:32:37,301
right between the dunes.
617
00:32:37,303 --> 00:32:38,687
Digging for martian life
618
00:32:38,689 --> 00:32:40,700
in the desert is one option.
619
00:32:40,702 --> 00:32:43,901
But some scientists
have very different ideas,
620
00:32:43,903 --> 00:32:46,211
and planetary scientist
Nina lanza
621
00:32:46,213 --> 00:32:50,699
would need to pack a rope
and a flashlight for her search.
622
00:32:50,701 --> 00:32:52,415
So if were to go to Mars
to find life,
623
00:32:52,417 --> 00:32:53,901
I would go to a lava tube.
624
00:32:56,146 --> 00:32:57,003
Lava tubes are made
625
00:32:57,005 --> 00:32:59,180
by ancient volcanoes,
626
00:32:59,182 --> 00:33:03,174
the empty leftovers from
underground lava flows.
627
00:33:03,176 --> 00:33:05,253
Today,
they form deep tunnels,
628
00:33:05,255 --> 00:33:07,266
shielded from radiation
and shut off
629
00:33:07,268 --> 00:33:10,236
from the harsh
martian climate.
630
00:33:10,238 --> 00:33:11,227
We've never been
631
00:33:11,229 --> 00:33:12,876
in a lava tube on Mars,
632
00:33:12,878 --> 00:33:17,958
but it is absolutely possible
that there's liquid water.
633
00:33:17,960 --> 00:33:20,994
So, that's an environment where
you could have some moisture,
634
00:33:20,996 --> 00:33:23,799
you could have a little warmth,
you're protected from radiation.
635
00:33:23,801 --> 00:33:27,660
I think that a martian microbe
would be very happy there.
636
00:33:31,788 --> 00:33:32,941
Finding life on Mars
637
00:33:32,943 --> 00:33:35,911
would be a monumental
human accomplishment.
638
00:33:35,913 --> 00:33:37,528
But there is a danger.
639
00:33:37,530 --> 00:33:41,026
By exposing martian
life to life from Earth,
640
00:33:41,028 --> 00:33:45,283
could we unwittingly set off yet
another extinction event?
641
00:33:45,285 --> 00:33:46,669
Humans have been
642
00:33:46,671 --> 00:33:49,639
one of the most effective
extinction mechanisms
643
00:33:49,641 --> 00:33:51,750
of life on Earth.
644
00:33:51,752 --> 00:33:53,565
The interesting
question will be,
645
00:33:53,567 --> 00:33:56,932
will we produce a similar
calamity on Mars?
646
00:33:56,934 --> 00:33:58,648
If humans someday
go to Mars,
647
00:33:58,650 --> 00:34:00,761
then we will be
an invasive species,
648
00:34:00,763 --> 00:34:02,410
and if there is some
martian life
649
00:34:02,412 --> 00:34:04,259
that's hanging on
in some niche,
650
00:34:04,261 --> 00:34:06,602
we could be
their ultimate destroyers.
651
00:34:06,604 --> 00:34:08,977
So we have an ethical
responsibility
652
00:34:08,979 --> 00:34:13,862
to preserve whatever
life may be on Mars.
653
00:34:13,864 --> 00:34:15,644
The problem isn't us,
654
00:34:15,646 --> 00:34:19,340
it's the bugs
in and on our bodies.
655
00:34:19,342 --> 00:34:20,396
The average human has
656
00:34:20,398 --> 00:34:24,586
ten to 20 trillion
bacterial hitchhikers.
657
00:34:24,588 --> 00:34:25,841
If we go to Mars,
658
00:34:25,843 --> 00:34:28,778
we'll be taking our tiny
companions along for the ride,
659
00:34:28,780 --> 00:34:31,880
and any one of those bugs
could turn out to be
660
00:34:31,882 --> 00:34:34,982
a deadly competitor
for martian life.
661
00:34:38,118 --> 00:34:40,098
It's NASA engineer
Moogega Cooper's
662
00:34:40,100 --> 00:34:44,123
job to keep
Mars rovers bug-free.
663
00:34:44,125 --> 00:34:48,644
But keeping astronauts clean,
that's a whole different matter.
664
00:34:48,646 --> 00:34:50,393
We bake our spacecraft hardware
665
00:34:50,395 --> 00:34:53,760
at 110 degrees Celsius
for at least 50 hours
666
00:34:53,762 --> 00:34:56,465
to prevent the contamination
of Mars.
667
00:34:56,467 --> 00:34:59,931
But unlike spacecraft,
we cannot bake humans out.
668
00:34:59,933 --> 00:35:02,374
We will not survive
those temperatures.
669
00:35:07,325 --> 00:35:08,379
Unless we find a way
670
00:35:08,381 --> 00:35:10,722
to keep astronauts bug-free,
671
00:35:10,724 --> 00:35:13,560
exploring Mars with robots
is our best option
672
00:35:13,562 --> 00:35:18,180
for keeping the martians
safe from harm.
673
00:35:18,182 --> 00:35:20,029
But what will happen
when our robots
674
00:35:20,031 --> 00:35:23,923
finally find that life and we
look deep into the workings
675
00:35:23,925 --> 00:35:26,926
of our extraterrestrial
neighbors?
676
00:35:28,775 --> 00:35:32,898
What will the martians
turn out to be like?
677
00:35:32,900 --> 00:35:35,836
Our example where DNA
is the organic molecule
678
00:35:35,838 --> 00:35:37,090
that carries
the information of life...
679
00:35:37,092 --> 00:35:38,409
We don't even know
680
00:35:38,411 --> 00:35:41,710
if that's gonna be
the rulebook in other places.
681
00:35:41,712 --> 00:35:43,691
Finding any evidence
whatsoever on Mars
682
00:35:43,693 --> 00:35:47,782
would help us better understand
what else is possible.
683
00:35:50,159 --> 00:35:51,148
Will the martians
684
00:35:51,150 --> 00:35:52,964
be different than us?
685
00:35:52,966 --> 00:35:54,977
Made from
different materials
686
00:35:54,979 --> 00:35:58,046
and with a different
biochemistry?
687
00:35:58,048 --> 00:36:02,006
Or will they seem
shockingly familiar?
688
00:36:02,008 --> 00:36:05,273
Some scientists think
that the very first martian life
689
00:36:05,274 --> 00:36:08,111
may not have stayed on Mars.
690
00:36:08,113 --> 00:36:10,751
It may have come here.
691
00:36:10,753 --> 00:36:12,235
It's not that
farfetched to think
692
00:36:12,237 --> 00:36:14,645
that life could have
jumped from Mars
693
00:36:14,647 --> 00:36:17,483
or been a back and forth
from Mars to Earth.
694
00:36:17,485 --> 00:36:19,397
If the martians came to Earth,
695
00:36:19,399 --> 00:36:22,169
could they have seeded life
on our planet?
696
00:36:22,171 --> 00:36:24,545
Maybe the martians aren't dead.
697
00:36:24,547 --> 00:36:26,591
Maybe I'm a martian,
maybe you're a martian.
698
00:36:47,977 --> 00:36:51,110
We've sent a robot army to Mars,
699
00:36:51,112 --> 00:36:53,652
and what it's found
is astonishing.
700
00:36:53,654 --> 00:36:57,084
The possibility that life
could have arisen there,
701
00:36:57,086 --> 00:36:59,758
perhaps more than once,
702
00:36:59,760 --> 00:37:03,386
with different generations of
martians emerging from the ashes
703
00:37:03,388 --> 00:37:06,391
of catastrophic
extinction events.
704
00:37:08,570 --> 00:37:11,142
Life could still be sheltering
705
00:37:11,144 --> 00:37:15,564
below the surface of Mars
right now.
706
00:37:18,007 --> 00:37:21,537
But there's another possibility
that's truly astounding...
707
00:37:21,539 --> 00:37:25,233
That martians
aren't just hiding out on Mars,
708
00:37:25,235 --> 00:37:28,666
they're thriving,
right here on Earth.
709
00:37:32,198 --> 00:37:33,253
I might be a martian,
710
00:37:33,255 --> 00:37:35,596
you might be a martian.
711
00:37:35,598 --> 00:37:37,807
We might be from another planet.
712
00:37:37,809 --> 00:37:41,833
We might have already travelled
and lived on two planets
713
00:37:41,835 --> 00:37:44,507
as life forms...
Not as a species, certainly,
714
00:37:44,509 --> 00:37:47,939
but our ancestors may have
come from another planet,
715
00:37:47,941 --> 00:37:51,536
and that is mind blowing.
716
00:37:51,538 --> 00:37:53,351
The idea that our ancestors
717
00:37:53,353 --> 00:37:56,156
could be martians
is a new take on an old theory
718
00:37:56,158 --> 00:37:59,456
called Panspermia.
719
00:37:59,458 --> 00:38:00,380
According to the theory,
720
00:38:00,382 --> 00:38:02,755
life on Earth began
when a space rock
721
00:38:02,757 --> 00:38:05,825
filled with alien bacteria
landed on the Earth
722
00:38:05,827 --> 00:38:09,225
and every living thing
we see today, including us,
723
00:38:09,227 --> 00:38:13,910
evolved from those
cosmic hitchhikers.
724
00:38:13,912 --> 00:38:16,880
The idea of Panspermia
has been around for centuries,
725
00:38:16,882 --> 00:38:18,959
but had a resurgence
when scientists
726
00:38:18,961 --> 00:38:23,150
determined that life on Earth
may go back four billion years,
727
00:38:23,152 --> 00:38:26,219
to the end of a sustained
attack of asteroid showers
728
00:38:26,221 --> 00:38:30,576
known as the late heavy
bombardment.
729
00:38:30,578 --> 00:38:33,182
There are a lot of objects
from the outer solar system...
730
00:38:33,184 --> 00:38:34,767
Comets and asteroids,
all kinds of things...
731
00:38:34,769 --> 00:38:36,483
Coming into
the inner solar system
732
00:38:36,485 --> 00:38:39,485
and slamming
into the planets.
733
00:38:39,487 --> 00:38:40,773
Conventional wisdom
734
00:38:40,775 --> 00:38:43,677
suggests the objects
hitting the Earth at the time
735
00:38:43,679 --> 00:38:45,393
were leftover debris
736
00:38:45,395 --> 00:38:48,264
from the formation
of the solar system.
737
00:38:48,266 --> 00:38:50,542
But a very controversial idea
738
00:38:50,544 --> 00:38:56,878
suggests these space rocks were
actually all pieces of Mars,
739
00:38:56,880 --> 00:39:00,144
thrown off
in the Borealis space impact
740
00:39:00,146 --> 00:39:04,336
when a huge object
blasted into Mars.
741
00:39:04,338 --> 00:39:10,177
The timing links up really well
for the Borealis space impact.
742
00:39:10,179 --> 00:39:12,751
If you calculate
how much debris
743
00:39:12,753 --> 00:39:14,566
that would have been
thrown out into space
744
00:39:14,568 --> 00:39:17,271
and when it would have
had to have happened,
745
00:39:17,273 --> 00:39:19,417
according to the martian
geologic record,
746
00:39:19,419 --> 00:39:22,750
it coincides with
the late heavy bombardment...
747
00:39:27,373 --> 00:39:29,911
It's possible
that the debris
748
00:39:29,913 --> 00:39:31,528
from the Borealis
space in forming impact
749
00:39:31,530 --> 00:39:34,499
might have come to Earth
and rained down on us
750
00:39:34,501 --> 00:39:36,148
and made the late heavy
bombardment,
751
00:39:36,150 --> 00:39:39,646
seeding the Earth with
bacterial spores from Mars.
752
00:39:39,648 --> 00:39:42,320
Now, this is just a hypothesis,
we don't know this for certain,
753
00:39:42,322 --> 00:39:43,706
we don't have evidence.
754
00:39:43,707 --> 00:39:46,808
But it is physically possible
for that to have happened.
755
00:39:48,988 --> 00:39:50,306
Was the Earth seeded
756
00:39:50,308 --> 00:39:51,791
by microscopic martians
757
00:39:51,793 --> 00:39:57,104
blown into space
by the Borealis impact?
758
00:39:57,106 --> 00:40:01,097
It sounds crazy,
but the science stacks up.
759
00:40:01,099 --> 00:40:03,209
We know that simple life
is tough,
760
00:40:03,211 --> 00:40:06,972
able to survive
in the cold vacuum of space,
761
00:40:06,974 --> 00:40:09,017
and the timing
of the Borealis impact
762
00:40:09,019 --> 00:40:14,759
works out well for the rise
of the first organisms on Earth.
763
00:40:15,916 --> 00:40:19,181
Crucially, we know that rocks
ejected from Mars
764
00:40:19,183 --> 00:40:21,359
can make it
all the way to Earth
765
00:40:21,361 --> 00:40:26,111
because they're still
crash landing here, even today.
766
00:40:26,113 --> 00:40:28,191
One of the coolest things
I've done as a scientist
767
00:40:28,193 --> 00:40:30,073
is held a piece of Mars
in my hands.
768
00:40:30,075 --> 00:40:33,339
Now, we never had a mission that
returned a sample from Mars,
769
00:40:33,341 --> 00:40:35,187
we had to come about it
a different way.
770
00:40:35,189 --> 00:40:36,771
And it turns out
we have meteorites
771
00:40:36,773 --> 00:40:40,435
that we are 100% sure
are bits of Mars.
772
00:40:40,437 --> 00:40:42,976
They were actually exploded out
during huge collisions,
773
00:40:42,978 --> 00:40:44,956
and eventually
they fell on the Earth.
774
00:40:50,832 --> 00:40:52,314
Four different generations
775
00:40:52,316 --> 00:40:54,294
of martians,
each of them facing
776
00:40:54,296 --> 00:40:58,123
a different planetary
catastrophe.
777
00:40:58,125 --> 00:40:59,674
But despite enormous odds,
778
00:40:59,675 --> 00:41:02,314
martians could
still be alive today,
779
00:41:02,316 --> 00:41:05,351
buried deep under
the surface of Mars,
780
00:41:05,353 --> 00:41:09,838
or maybe even
thriving on Earth.
781
00:41:09,840 --> 00:41:11,785
If life is really that tenacious
782
00:41:11,787 --> 00:41:14,161
that it can come back
and keep coming back
783
00:41:14,163 --> 00:41:15,349
and keep coming back,
784
00:41:15,351 --> 00:41:17,989
that gives me a lot of hope
for life in the universe.
785
00:41:17,990 --> 00:41:20,959
That tells me that life
is maybe tough,
786
00:41:20,961 --> 00:41:25,678
maybe individuals are fragile,
but maybe life itself is tough.
787
00:41:25,680 --> 00:41:26,801
For now,
788
00:41:26,803 --> 00:41:29,045
all we can do is speculate
789
00:41:29,047 --> 00:41:31,850
until future generations
develop the technology
790
00:41:31,852 --> 00:41:34,159
to visit the red planet
791
00:41:34,161 --> 00:41:39,308
and grab our first sample
of extraterrestrial life.
792
00:41:39,310 --> 00:41:41,255
That's going to change
everything.
793
00:41:41,257 --> 00:41:42,443
We're going to have
another example
794
00:41:42,445 --> 00:41:44,687
of how life started
and how life works.
795
00:41:44,689 --> 00:41:46,699
And even if it's something
that's dead,
796
00:41:46,701 --> 00:41:47,822
we knew it was there.
797
00:41:47,824 --> 00:41:50,165
The universe will never be
the same again.
62474
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